Quite the Looker: A Peek at the Burgers at the New Cleaver and Co. on McKinney

Cleaver and Co. is a new fast-casual restaurant along an upscale part of McKinney Avenue. It's set to open this Saturday, Feb. 15.

The high-end burger spot has locations in food halls in Georgia and Colorado — this is the first stand-alone location. This specific location was chosen for its high-density neighborhood and "lack of other premium burger options," according to a press release. The vibe here is a casual butcher shop stuffed inside a sports bar.  The menu includes lofty burgers, chicken sandwiches, tots and fries, everything loaded and glutinous. Hand-spun milkshakes are also an option.

We're excited about special ingredients speckled throughout the menu like bacon-habanero jam, mint goat cheese mousse and a cilantro crema.

Fried pickles with a cilantro crema sauce and pretzels with queso lead things off on the appetizer menu. There are wings, plus tots and fries for sides.

The Cleaver's burger ($14.99) is a basic burger with a housemade Cleaver sauce. The Bacon Be Back burger ($15.49) comes with American cheese, bacon-habanero jam, pickles, lettuce and mustard. A falafel burger (I love this option) comes with smashed falafel, sesame seeds and mint goat cheese mousse with LTO and harissa aioli. 

The chicken section is just as alluring. A smoked apricot fried chicken sandwich has mint goat cheese mousse and cilantro crema with a smoked apricot sauce.  There are big salads or you can get buttermilk-marinated fried chicken tenders with fries ($12.99). It feels like a spot for the whole family. Or adults doing super adult things.

Cleaver and Co. is from longtime Dallas restaurateur Pardeep Sharma, who is behind Roti Grill and India Palace, as well as the restaurant's founder, Pat Graza.

The space is technically billed as a one-year pop-up  — they signed a 12-month lease to see how things go. Not a bad strategy. But if the menu delivers, hopefully, it'll be long-term.

Cleaver and Co., 4438 McKinney Ave. Opens Feb. 15.